


I Wanna Hold Your Hand

by a1_kitkat



Series: Fictober 2020 [2]
Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Barbecue, Date Night, Fictober 2020, Fluff, Hiking, Holding Hands, M/M, Movie Night, Public Display of Affection, Slow Dancing, Veterinary Clinic, i'm not too happy with how this one turned out, some are very short, sorry - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-02
Updated: 2020-10-02
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:33:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26771464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/a1_kitkat/pseuds/a1_kitkat
Summary: Five times Alex and Forrest secretly hand hands and one time they held hands in publicPROMPT USED - HAND HOLDING
Relationships: Forrest Long/Alex Manes, Isobel Evans/Gregory Manes
Series: Fictober 2020 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1947391
Comments: 17
Kudos: 32





	I Wanna Hold Your Hand

Alex had never been overly comfortable with public displays of affection; he didn’t care what other people did, he just never really got into the habit of it himself. His father hadn’t been the affectionate type even when Alex’s mother had still been around but Alex was an adult now and trying to navigate his first official relationship while teaching himself not to publicly freak out every time Forrest tried to touch him.

After their first kiss, Forrest had been nothing but patient and understanding in his courtship of Alex.

***1***

On their very first date, Alex and Forrest went to the Crashdown for dinner. They had decided to start slow and casual so the café was the best place for it especially since Alex believed it lowered their chances of bumping into any unwanted Ex-boyfriends.

Alex was dressed casually too, in jeans and his favourite leather jacket. He smiled when he saw Forrest, leaning over the jukebox, examining the song selections.

“Hey,” Alex greeted him.

“Hi,” Forrest said with a smile.

“You made it,”

“Of course, I wouldn’t miss this for anything,”

Alex blushed as Forrest pressed a button on the jukebox and a song began to play. He stepped back and indicated for him to lead the way to a table. They didn’t sit in a booth; Arturo appeared a moment later to take their drink orders.

It felt oddly formal as Alex didn’t know what to say. They’d talked on the phone and texted a lot but now they were out, together, in person, Alex was completely at a loss for how to break the ice. Fortunately, Forrest was on the ball. When his song selection came to an end, he looked into Alex’s eyes and thanked him for waiting until the song was over.

Alex immediately nodded, pretending it had been his plan all along. If Forrest caught on, he didn’t let it slip. He just dived forward by asking when they were going to paintball again since a rematch was definitely in their future. 

The conversation began to flow much easier once Arturo brought their drinks out and they ordered their meals. Alex asked if Forrest was working on any new poems and asked after Alex’s music.

Over time, they both pulled their chairs closer and closer to the table. Alex’s hand was on his knee, out of sight, trying to keep his jitters under control. He felt Forrest’s leg touch his and he stopped fidgeting.

By the time Arturo brought their meals to the table, he wasn’t aware what was happening below it. Both men were leaning towards each other, whispering candidly but under the table, Forrest’s hand was clasped to Alex’s. Neither of them had said a word about it and neither were willing to let go, even once the food had arrived.

Luckily, they didn’t require two hands to eat their burgers.

***2***

Their third date was at the only movie theatre in town and it was playing a ‘retro classic’ film which was why Forrest asked Alex if he would like to go. Alex hadn’t even bothered to look up which film was screening, he just jumped at the chance to go to a movie with his boyfriend.

Alex had never officially had a boyfriend not had he been on a date to the movies. Something every teen did at some point during high school and he was finally experiencing it on the cusp of thirty.

They met outside and Alex was excited to discover the film was ‘Ghostbusters’. Nothing remotely romantic there, he could just sit back and enjoy the movie. Forrest insisted on paying for the tickets so Alex bought drinks and popcorn for them to share.

Forrest led him to the very back row of the theatre but by the time the movie started, there were maybe twenty people in the room. Alex positioned the popcorn between them and after about ten minutes, each time one reached into the bucket, their hands would brush. Alex giggled, convinced Forrest was doing it on purpose.

They didn’t even eat half; the serving was just too big but the bucket was in the way. Alex was too engrossed in the movie to notice that at one point there was a popcorn bucket between them and later when he turned to see if Forrest had laughed at a funny line, he realized the popcorn was gone and Forrest was holding his hand.

Alex blushed but Forrest was watching the screen, not him. He was completely blasé about the fact they were holding hands so Alex followed his lead, leaned back in his seat and enjoyed the rest of the movie. 

Neither of them let go until the credits began to roll.

***3***

Forrest liked taking Buffy on short hikes. She liked being outside but didn’t appear to be a fan of using her little legs for very long stretches of time. So, when he decided to take her to one of her favourite trails, it made sense he invited Alex to join them.

Alex was excited because he didn’t often get the chance to stretch his legs. It was good to occasionally push himself that little bit especially after getting a new prosthetic. He’d had this one for a while but was still occasionally adjusting to it.

The weather was beautiful and Forrest had packed a picnic lunch for them. He spread a blanket and Buffy promptly stretched out and went to sleep. Forrest knew, from experience, he’d be carrying her back to the car after this.

He smiled as he lay on his back, eyes closed, the sun shining down on him, hands folded under his head. Lying beside him, in a mirrored pose was Alex. Forrest opened his eyes and peered over at him, wondering if Alex was asleep.

He watched as Alex moved, shifted his leg then reached down to adjust his prosthetic. Worry immediately filled him.

“Is your leg okay?” Forrest asked. “It’s not hurting you, is it?”

“Nah, it’s fine,” Alex waved his concern aside.

“Alex, please? If it’s hurting, don’t put on a brave face just for me.”

“I promise, I’m _not,_ ”

Alex rolled over, onto his stomach and he looked up at Forrest with sincerity in his eyes. He reached out and took hold of Forrest’s hand, softly stroking his palm.

“My leg is fine,” he said. “I love that you worry about me but trust me, I don’t break easily. Today has been… perfect… just what I needed.”

“Really?” Forrest asked.

“Actually,” Alex sat up and looked around. They were completely alone up here with the exception of Buffy sleeping at Forrest’s feet. “There’s just one more thing I need,”

“Oh? What’s that?”

“You,”

Alex yanked Forrest’s hand, pulling him closer. Forrest leaned in and they shared a gentle yet quick kiss.

“There,” Alex whispered with a shy smile on his face. “Absolutely perfect,”

Forrest returned his smile before lying back down on the blanket, his fingers still entwined with Alex’s.

It truly was a perfect day.

***4***

It had become something of a tradition for Alex and Kyle to get together a few times a month for movie night. Having started after Alex’s horror at learning Kyle couldn’t tell the difference between Star Wars and Star Trek, it took them some time to get through them especially since Alex took pity on Kyle and threw a ‘Die Hard’ movie or ‘Jason Bourne’ one into the mix.

They were about to get started on a Lord of the Rings marathon weekend, one movie per night over a long weekend since Kyle wasn’t working but he was surprised when he received a text on Friday morning asking if it was okay for Alex to bring a guest to movie night.

Kyle liked Forrest so he was more than happy for him to join them. 

They both arrived at Alex’s place at the same time. Forrest had pizza and his dog, Buffy, with him. Kyle had two six packs of beer. Both had their hands full but neither knocked; Kyle handed one six pack to Forrest, pulled out a key and unlocked the door.

Kyle went inside, followed by Buffy then Forrest. Alex was already settled on the couch, napkins and coasters set on the coffee table. Kyle went into the kitchen to put the beer in the fridge while Forrest and Alex shared a non-verbal greeting.

Forrest sat down beside Alex on the couch, picked up his prosthetic-free leg and placed it upon his lap as Kyle appeared, handed both of them a beer each. He sank into the armchair, grabbed a slice of pizza then yelped when an overweight dog jumped into his lap.

“Buffy!” Forrest hissed. “Get down, girl!”

“Nah, she’s fine,” Kyle said, “so long as she doesn’t try to steal my pizza.”

“She won’t, she’s too lazy for that,”

Alex grabbed the remote and turned the TV on. He picked up a slice of pizza, passed it to Forrest then selected one for himself. They started the movie, enjoyed their pizza while sipping their beer.

Kyle hadn’t seen the movie before so he quickly became engrossed in the story but about an hour into the film, he shifted Buffy from his lap and got up to go to the bathroom. He looked at the couple on the couch and smiled at seeing them both asleep.

He peered at Buffy, placed his finger to his lips, indicating for her to be quiet. Kyle paused the movie, hurried to the bathroom then grabbed another beer before coming back to the living room. 

He lifted Buffy off the cushion and sat back down but his eyes shifted back to Alex and Forrest. Alex’s head was resting on Forrest’s shoulder, their eyes were closed and their fingers were entwined. Kyle had never seen Alex hold hands with a guy before, he thought it would be weird but it wasn’t because Alex was happy… and he was happy for him.

***5***

The weather was perfect for Isobel’s barbecue and Gregory had talked about nothing else for two weeks, he was genuinely excited to show off his cooking skills for her. 

It warmed Alex’s heart to see his brother so happy yet it sometimes weighed on him that it was Isobel of all people who’d brought such happiness to Greg. To her credit, she’d been very accepting of Alex and even Forrest so when she’d planned this barbecue, she’d extended an invitation to Alex, Forrest _and_ Buffy.

Alex had immediately declined, making as many lame excuses as he could think of until he found out Forrest had already accepted… because Forrest was a nice guy and had no reason to question Isobel’s motives especially since the four of them had been on a few double dates. Forrest actually _liked_ Isobel. 

Both Alex and Forrest arrived independently of each other, Forrest had brought Buffy along too and she immediately found a spot in the grass under a tall tree to settle herself. Alex tried not to get too close to Forrest, tried not to appear too much like a couple especially whenever he felt Michael’s gaze on him.

Max and Forrest ended up in a rather heated debate over their favourite Shakespeare sonnet, of all things, which Alex found absolutely adorable yet painful to listen to.

It wasn’t until desert was served that Kyle pointed out something appeared to be wrong with Buffy. Forrest immediately ran to her side, took one look and scooped her into his arms as he declared he needed to take her to the Vet.

Alex was the first one out the door with Forrest in toe. They jumped into Alex’s car and drove to the vet, Forrest cradling Buffy in his arms while phoning the Vet. 

He met them at the clinic and took Buffy straight through for an examination. Forrest collapsed in a chair in the waiting room, his entire body trembling with worry. Alex walked over and sank down beside him, reached over and grabbed Forrest’s hand. Their fingers entwined and Forrest clung to Alex while they waited… and waited… and waited.

Alex didn’t know what to say so he just stayed by Forrest’s side, holding his hand and offering silent comfort. When the Doctor finally returned, Forrest leapt to his feet but didn’t let go of Alex’s hand.

“She’s going to be fine,” he told Forrest who breathed a sigh of relief.

He threw himself into Alex’s arms while listening to the Vet’s evaluation of Buffy’s condition. She had to stay overnight for observation but was going to be okay. Alex made to release Forrest but his boyfriend didn’t let him go, he grasped his hand as they followed the Doctor back to check on Buffy.

“I’ll give you a minute,” he said to the couple.

Forrest moved forward and leaned closer to Buffy, she lifted her head and softly licked his face. He smiled while blinking back tears.

“You scared me, Buf,” Forrest whispered. “I can’t lose you, girl,”

Alex reached out and put his hand on Forrest’s shoulder. 

“I’ll go talk to the Doctor and give you some time with her,” Alex said to him.

“No, stay,” Forrest said. “Please? I need you both right now.”

Alex wrapped his arm around Forrest’s waist and rested his chin on Forrest’s shoulder. He wasn’t going anywhere; he’d stay by Forrest and Buffy’s side as long as needed.

***+1***

Veterans day was quite the celebration in town and it was essentially Alex and Forrest’s first, very public, date. Sure, they’d gone out plenty of times but this was their first event as a couple.

Isobel had gone all out in planning the event this year and she looked beautiful, beaming proudly on Greg’s arm.

The event was in full swing when Alex went to get more drinks. As he stood in line, waiting for their drinks, he peered across the room and looked at Forrest who was laughing animatedly with Greg. He looked so handsome that the moment Alex had seen him, he’d just wanted to kiss him and never let go.

Alex stepped out of the line, walked determinedly across the room and held his hand out to Forrest who cocked his eyebrow at him.

“May I have this dance?” Alex asked him.

Forrest’s lips curled into a smile. He took Alex’s offered hand and they both walked to the middle of the dancefloor. Forrest placed one hand on Alex’s waist while his other remained entwined.

They stared into each other’s eyes while swaying to the music together. Neither released their grasp of the other’s hand for the rest of the night.


End file.
